I’m late anyway. I need to get to Frosted.
I groan and sit up, throwing off the bedding. Grabbing my phone, I swipe and log in, seeing two missed calls from Hawke.
What does he want?I check the time of the notifications. 12:08 a.m. The last one was 12:45 a.m.
And that’s why I put on a Do Not Disturb, Hawke.
If someone’s hurt, they’ll call my mom down the hall. The little amount of sleep I can manage is crucial, and my younger family members like to send me reels at one o’clock in the morning, or wait until 11 p.m. to invite me out on a weekend night.
Dropping the phone back to the nightstand, I head downstairs. The house is silent except for the grandfather clock that chimes four. Not even the stairs creak because our house isn’t very old and my mom has carpet on the steps. They built this place just before I was born; Madoc getting the house he grew up in just a little way down our same quiet street. I’m not sure why my father gave up his home only to build another in the same neighborhood. It’s one of the family secrets I still haven’t cracked.
But I loved growing up here, outside the main part of the town. Sleepy, clean, and it smelled good. The surrounding forest made a great space for hikes, nature walks, and animal-watching.
There’s not many people my age around here anymore, though.
Swinging around the banister, I head toward the kitchen. My parents usually wake up around six-thirty, and I think it’s one of my favorite things about my profession. Having the house to myself for a little while before I head to work. It’s different than staying up late. By then, I’ve had a full day, I’m tired, and not good for much other than Netflix and snacking. I have the energy to enjoy my alone time in the morning.
Rounding the corner, I head to the coffee machine, but as I scoop some beans into the grinder, dark forms loom in the corner of my eye.
I glance, seeing four men sitting in the dark at the kitchen table.
I gasp and jerk, dropping my spoon as I spin around. “Geez!” I gape at my brothers all sitting at the circular table with Lucas standing to the left, behind Jax.
What the hell?
What are they doing here? And in the dark, not talking?
“What are you guys doing?” I blurt out, leaning back on the counter to catch my breath.Nearly gave me a heart attack…
My pulse jackhammers, echoing in my ears.
But then I pause. Hawke had called in the middle of the night. And they’re here now. Was he trying to warn me about something?
I float my eyes over all their faces, lingering on Lucas’s for a moment longer than the rest. “What?” I ask them.
Did something happen?
Jared sits between Jax and Madoc, his back to the window. I can’t make out his eyes, but he opens his mouth.
Madoc stops him, telling me instead, “We would…” He hesitates as if searching for words. “We wouldpreferthat you not hang out with Noah Van der Berg or Farrow Kelly.”
I falter.Huh?
“And definitely not together,” Jax chimes in.
Madoc nods. “Yeah, definitely not together.”
What?
I dart my eyes to Lucas again, who draws in a long breath before shifting on his feet.
That’s why they’re here?
“It’s four o’clock in the morning,” I point out.
Jax sits up. “We—”
“Four o’clock…” I bite out, swiping up my spoon again. “In the morning.” Do they have any idea how crazy this looks?
